


A little like Goldilocks

by Craftybadger1234



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Boys Kissing, Coming Out, Don't copy to another site, Family Feels, Hospitals, M/M, Medicinal Drug Use, Mildly Dubious Consent, Obliviation, Pre-Slash, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-28 21:49:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Craftybadger1234/pseuds/Craftybadger1234
Summary: This dream is making him too hard.This reality is making him too soft.But then his memories come back and this… this he can work with.*It's not really like Goldilocks in any way, I just didn't know what else to call it. Titles are hard.*I rated this M because I'm super paranoid, but there's nothing much beyond one brief exposure of naughty bits, one mild dub-con kiss, and consensual kissing. Oh, and bad language because the F word is my favorite.





	A little like Goldilocks

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you a million times to my beta, CleopatraIsMyName, for being so awesome while I whined about this fic and changed it like six times until I ended up with something I liked.

Harry fell into dreaming, accompanied by a soft beeping sound coming from his left. He opened his eyes to a drab, mostly empty room. A hospital room full of the fuzzy, vague edges one usually found in a dream. What a shitty location. Perhaps it was a nightmare, and Uncle Vernon would come storming in and yell about Harry being a waste of medical resources. 

Except he felt too light and floaty for a nightmare. His attention was caught by dust motes dancing in the sunlight coming in from the window. He reached out for them, then giggled when his hand met nothing but air. An IV pulled on his hand and he stared at in confusion. Did one have IVs in dreams?

He considered pulling it out, but the door opened and a young man came in. He, too, was blurry, adding to the dreamlike quality of the space. “Oh,” he said cheerily, “you’re awake! And just in time too. The doctor’s here to check on you. I’ll let him know you’re ready.”

“Wait,” Harry said feebly, but his voice didn’t carry far enough to halt the young man’s leaving. He couldn’t remember how he got here, but he knew he should be somewhere else. Something was off about this dream.

The door opened and Harry’s breath hitched at the blurry vision walking in. Ah… so it was one of _those_ kinds of dreams. The gorgeous man slowly came into soft focus, with a pointy face and hair so white it almost glowed. Tall and slender, he made Harry’s heart race as all the blood in his brain headed south. He lifted his knees, tenting the blanket, in an attempt to hide his growing erection.

Harry grinned. “Well hello, Doctor. Here to _examine_ me?” 

“I am, indeed,” he said as he pulled the chart from the end of Harry’s bed and flipped through it quickly. “You had a nasty spill and we’re worried about a concussion. How are you feeling?” He set the chart down and pulled a penlight from the pocket of his hideous, bright green scrubs.

“Mm, better now that you’re here.” Harry was trying for seductive but his words came out a little slurred, ruining the effect. “Is this the part where I show you where it hurts?”

The doctor rolled his eyes. “I already know it’s your head.” He flashed the penlight across Harry’s eyes.

Harry giggled again. “My head…” He slipped his hand under the covers and tried to get to his cock, trapped beneath his hospital gown. “Want to kiss it and make it better?”

“What are you - Harry, stop that this instant!” The doctor, frowning heavily, grabbed Harry’s arm to still him. He looked over his shoulder to the door, for rescue or escape Harry wasn’t sure, but in any case, it was closed tightly. 

They both heard the sharp click of the lock. Harry smiled at the awesome convenience of a dream. “It’s all right,” Harry said, “we won’t be disturbed.” He bumped his hips up. “Want to strip me naked and examine me?”

“You can’t be serious right now.” The doctor stepped back and contemplated Harry, pressing a hand to his lips in thought. The glint of a ring shone on his finger and a hot thrill shot through Harry.

“Ooh, are we married? Interesting twist, I like it.” This dream was getting better and better. He shoved the covers down and tried to pull his arm out of his gown, but it was tied in the back and he ended up in a confused tangle. “Help me with this. Or maybe leave it on… it fits the theme, especially if we’re playing some sexy roleplay game.”

“Harry, stop!” The doctor huffed again. “All right. I think I’m going to have to give you a little something...” He rolled his eyes. “A little something _else_, to put you to sleep. And when you wake up, you’ll be back to yourself.”

“No, I don’t want to go to sleep! Married to a fit, young doctor? This is the best dream I’ve had in forever and we haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.” He reached out to grab at the doctor, but his reflexes were slow and the doctor side-stepped neatly. Harry growled in frustration. “Please can we get to the good part now?” He lifted the gown and gave his cock a few quick strokes. Fuck, it felt good. So much more intense than his usual dreams. “You can start your examination here.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, but they weren’t responding quite right so probably he just grimaced. 

For a second, the doctor stared, wide-eyed. Then he shook himself and closed his mouth with an audible click. “Damn it! Why is it always me having to deal with you?” He smacked Harry’s hand. “And stop that! This is serious!” He tugged the covers over Harry with a frown.

“I changed my mind,” Harry sighed. “This is the worst sex dream I’ve ever had.”

The doctor growled at the ceiling at that. “Okay. Fine.” He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. When he opened them, he smiled slowly at Harry. “You’re right, we’re going about this all wrong.” His lowered voice made Harry’s cock throb. He trailed a hand down Harry’s chest and belly, over the hospital gown. “How about you be a good little boy and then you’ll get a special reward.”

Harry grinned as he sat up straighter in the bed, “That’s more like it.”

Slender fingers cupped his jaw, then slid up into his hair. “Does this hurt,” the doctor asked softly as he lightly massaged Harry’s scalp. Harry closed his eyes and hummed a negative response. “Follow my finger with just your eyes.” Harry traced the path of the finger moving side to side in front of his face.

The finger didn’t go anywhere interesting and Harry felt cheated. “This is very boring.”

“You have to be patient. A good boy is patient.”

Harry snorted. “How about you take your clothes off? That would make this more interesting.” He blinked hard, and when he opened his eyes, the doctor’s shirt was missing.

“Fucking hell, Harry,” the doctor exclaimed angrily, all seduction gone. He pulled a long slender rod from some kind of hidden pocket, and Harry wondered if he was about to be spanked with it, like a naughty boy, but the doctor pointed the stick at himself and his shirt reappeared.

Harry closed his eyes on a groan. “Seriously. Worst sex dream ever.” Frustrated beyond all reason, he waited for the doctor’s attention to be on stowing his stick before grabbing his arm and pulling him down to Harry. The doctor’s gasp of indignation was lost to the moan Harry made when their lips met.

It was a sloppy, wet kiss that renewed Harry’s arousal, even with the doctor squirming to get away. He gripped harder, determined to keep the gorgeous blond close and, preferably, in his lap. For just a moment, it felt like he was returning the kiss. A soft moan from the doctor vibrated against Harry’s lips, but then Harry broke the spell by trying to pull him up onto the bed. It was like wrestling an octopus, with as much as the other man wriggled. 

Finally, the doctor broke free and wiped his mouth angrily. “What is wrong with you?”

“I’m trying,” Harry growled, “to fuck you. Why are you making this so difficult? Is it because you want to fuck me? That’s fine. I’m good with whatever.” Harry tried turning around in the bed but the tangled hospital gown and IV made moving difficult.

But he didn’t have time to make it disappear, because the doctor said, “I’d hoped to examine you before the transfer to St Mungo’s -”

“Mungo,” Harry laughed. “What a funny word. Mun-_go_.” He broke off into another fit of giggles.

“But that’s not going to happen. Note to self, no more morphine for Harry Potter. We’re just going to have to put you to sleep.”

“What?” Harry slumped in his bed. “No! We haven’t even -”

“Stop, I don’t want to know whatever depraved shit you’re thinking. You’re going to go to sleep now and when you wake up, everything will be back to normal.”

A dull ache Harry hadn’t been aware of, came to the forefront of his mind. The IV in his hand itched and burned. “Aren’t I - aren’t I already sleeping?”

“It’s all right,” the doctor said in soothing tones. He pulled a corked vial from the same hidden pocket as his stick. “Drink this and it’s all going to be fine.”

“No… no I don’t want to. I want to stay here. And we’re going to fool around and it’s going to be fun. I want some fun.”

The doctor frowned at him, but had moved closer to give Harry the vial. Harry caressed the doctor’s inner wrist before taking it.

“Can I at least have another kiss?” Harry asked, staring at the dark purple liquid.

Another heavy sigh sounded. “Please just drink it so we can get back to the real world and I can find out what’s happened to you.”

“It’s official. Worst sex dream ever.” Harry tossed back the contents of the vial and let the inky black void swallow him.

\--------

Harry woke in a somewhat familiar room. A hospital. The heavy scent of disinfection spells made him wrinkle his nose. He couldn’t remember how he got here, but he would know that fucking smell anywhere. He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, trying to ease the throbbing there. Of course it didn’t work.

A quick scan of his memory came up with no reason for a hospitalization. Just a heavy black void where his memories should be, and the vague remnants of a sexy yet pathetic dream. He tried not to panic, but felt the increase in his heartbeat anyway. What the fuck happened to him?

The door opened and a blurry young man came in. Harry needed glasses. “Oh,” the young man said cheerily, “you’re awake! I’ll let the healer know.”

“Wait,” Harry said feebly, but his voice didn’t carry far enough to halt the young man’s leaving. He wanted answers, and Healers were notorious for breezing in, casting their spells, and waltzing out.

The door opened and Harry’s breath hitched at the gorgeous man coming in. He had a pointy face and hair so white it almost glowed. Tall and slender, he made Harry’s heart race for a new reason. Just like in his dream...

“What happened? How did I get here?” Harry asked.

“An Auror mission went badly and you were hit with a botched Obliviate. But don’t worry, we’re going to take good care of you,” the healer said as he approached the bed with a smile. 

He stood close enough now that Harry could make out the details of his face. Something about the crinkle in his eyes, the tilt of his head tickled Harry’s memory. Tentatively he asked, “Do I know you?”

The healer laughed. “You don’t remember me? After all you’ve put me through?” He shook his head and reached for Harry's chart.

Harry frowned and let the black void swirl around him. He looked the healer over, willing a memory to surface. As his mind worked, his gaze drifted to the room around him, reminding him of the other rooms just like it in the hospital. He’d been to St Mungo’s often enough. And he’d seen this healer before, remembered the shock of white hair. “Malfoy?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yes! That’s right!” Malfoy set the chart down and pulled his wand from his pocket. “Although usually it’s Draco. Do you remember anything else?” He set the end glowing with a light Lumos charm.

Harry paused and another name surfaced, along with a halo of curly hair the color of straw. “And Maggie?”

“Sure, _now_ you remember her.” Draco flashed the light across Harry’s eyes and said, “Your girlfriend. She’s waiting outside.”

Harry closed his eyes and relaxed into his pillows to think. A girlfriend. Certainly not as good as the dream he had, but at least he wasn’t alone. He blinked his eyes open to look Draco over again. Pieces of his dream, specifically this healer half naked, flashed before him. 

“I don’t remember her. Not really.”

“We’re confident your memory will be returning soon. An Obliviator is coming today.” Draco layered a few charms over him, watched their glow for a moment, then dispelled them. He made a note on Harry’s chart.

“And I’m happy?” Harry asked quietly.

Draco paused in his writing. He sighed and looked at Harry with a hesitant smile. “I think you are… Yes.” He nodded curtly and resumed writing.

Harry swallowed heavily. “I don’t remember. And I want to be happy.” Little flashes of memory rose through the murky ink that slowly cleared. A dark, damp house. A red haired man and brown haired woman smothering him in a hug, but still feeling cold. 

“It’s probably going to take a while, but physically there’s nothing wrong with you. Your memories will be returning, and you’ll be fine.”

“No - I’m - I don’t want to remember.” Harry shut his eyes with a moan, but that only made the memories resurface faster. Unrepentant criminals, endless paperwork, a stifling house, and the aching loneliness.

“Harry!” Draco said sharply. Harry’s eyes flew open and he focused on the grey eyes boring into his. “Harry, you’re going to be fine. Maggie is here, and so is Hermione. You remember them? They want to see you. Is that all right?”

He nodded jerkily, too afraid to open his mouth to speak.

“We’re going to take care of you, and you’re going to be fine. Take a few deep breaths with me.” Draco led him through a brief breathing exercise, then smiled. “Better now?”

“Yes,” Harry said hoarsely.

“All right. Ready, then?” At Harry’s nod, Draco opened the door and ushered in two women.

“Maggie,” Harry said to the blonde one. She had golden yellow hair in a thick braid over her shoulder. One hand wiped at her red-rimmed eyes, while the other reached for Harry.

“Oh Harry, this was a bad one! You gave us such a scare!” She enveloped him in a warm hug, the scent of lemon clouding Harry’s senses for a moment. Laughing in relief, she pulled away to give the other woman room by his bed as well.

“Harry, you look awful. How are you feeling?” Not waiting for an answer, she also hugged him. Her bushy brown hair smacked into his face and Harry sighed happily at something that was at last truly familiar.

“Hermione,” he said quietly.

“I’ve messaged Ron but he can’t get away from the shop just yet, maybe another hour.” She pulled away with a smile. “Are you doing all right?”

Maggie dug through her bag. “I’ve brought your spare glasses from home since your other pair was lost during the fight.”

Harry nodded, looking the two of them over as he put the glasses on. Although they were both familiar, nothing sparked a specific memory. Hermione reminded him of school and some nagging about getting his life in order. But Maggie… just a vague smell of lemon and laughing in a basement kitchen. His kitchen? 

“We live together?” 

Maggie took his hand with a watery smile. “For almost six months. When the lease was up on my flat.”

“The windows. I remember the windows. Looking down on a park?”

For some reason she blushed and stuttered, “Er, yes. That’s right. But we live at Grimmauld Place now.”

Just mentioning the house made Harry’s head throb painfully. He grimaced and pressed a hand to his temple. 

Draco cleared his throat and smiled at everyone. “Harry’s likely to experience disorientation and headaches while his memory returns so he’ll be staying here for a day or two.”

“Of course,” Maggie said. “I can bring you some clothes and things from home. So you’re more comfortable. I can stay here with you, if you like?” She looked hopefully at Harry, but her eyes slid to Draco for permission.

Draco glanced at Harry before giving Maggie a gentle smile. “I’m sorry, but I think it’s best Harry gets some quiet to sort through things.”

“Oh… right… of course.” Maggie nodded, pressing her lips together and blinking rapidly.

“Plus he’ll be worn out from the Obliviators coming to take a look at him.” Draco checked his watch. “They should be here soon. I didn’t want to put it off until tomorrow. Oh, and the Aurors.”

At the mention of Aurors, Harry’s headache increased. Images of paperwork rained down again. Although he couldn’t remember the specifics of his job, he knew he fucking hated it.

“Why don’t we go,” Hermione said, taking Maggie’s hand. “We can fill Ron in on everything. Pick up some things for Harry.” She smiled at Harry. “We can come back with some dinner. He can have some takeaway, can’t he?” 

Draco smiled, “That’s a good idea. The food here is terrible.”

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Hermione said, giving his hand a squeeze and kissing his temple.

“Get good rest,” Maggie said, with a pat to his leg. “I’ll let Andromeda and Teddy know you’re all right. Teddy has been worried.”

At Harry’s confused look, Draco said, “Teddy is your godson. Andromeda is his grandmother. He lives with her.”

Harry nodded, wondering why he was a godfather, who Teddy’s parents were, and why they weren’t on the list of visitors. But his head hurt too much to ask. Hermione and Maggie were already leaving.

The door closed and Harry heaved a sigh. Draco asked kindly, “All right so far?”

“Well I can’t remember shit but I think I hate my house and my job, and my friends are basically strangers and this hospital smells funny. So… yeah…” He didn’t think the time was right to mention he also had suspicions about his girlfriend. He had a _girlfriend_? Really? Because Draco was looking more fit by the minute, looking at Harry with such concern.

“It’s going to take some time,” Draco said. “But as it all comes back, you’ll see things aren’t so bad.”

Right, because they were worse. Over the next few hours, the Obliviators ran their array of spells that pulled random bits of memories from the depths of his subconscious, but not enough to give Harry a clear picture of his life. Next, he endured questioning from Aurors, and supplied them with the fractured memories of the wand fight that led to his memory-loss. No great sorrow handing off that case… 

Hermione and Maggie returned with Ron and curry, along with an overnight bag for Harry. Thankfully they didn’t stay long because Harry was ready to collapse from exhaustion.

The day had been long and tortuous, full of a job he hated and a girlfriend he didn’t want. Hopefully he’d dream of the sexy, fit Healer again.

\--------

The clicking sounds of the door opening woke Harry. He grimaced and rubbed his eyes as a soft voice said, “Oh sorry! I thought you’d be up by now.”

Harry squinted at his bedside table, looking for his glasses. “Maggie,” he said. “What time is it?” Fucking hospital, like some mad twilight zone where time meant nothing.

“It’s almost eight. Usually you’re up early, so…”

“Yeah, no, it’s fine,” he yawned. “It’s the potions. They’re supposed to help me remember, but so far it’s just made my head foggier.”

“So you didn’t sleep well? I’m so sorry. Teddy and Andromeda are on their way. Are you up for seeing them?”

“Erm,” Harry looked down at his rumpled hospital gown. “Yeah, I guess. I should get changed?” He stood slowly and stretched, then grabbed his bag on the way to the bathroom. 

All the clothes were soft lounging things, and all rather loose fitting. In a fit of vanity, Harry altered the t-shirt to fit more snugly over his frame. He had a bit of muscle he could show off. Might as well adjust the trackies too. He turned to admire his arse in the mirror, but it was hung too high to get a good look. With a shrug, he brushed his teeth, splashed water on his face, and did his best to tame his wild hair. Would Draco like what he saw when he came to check on Harry?

Oh fuck, Maggie seemed to like it. Her eyes gave him an approving once over and a slow smile emerged. “Harry,” she said with a laugh, “you look good.”

“Oh, erm… this old thing?” He pressed his lips together and tugged his shirt nervously. Did he go overboard on the alterations? “My hair is a little…” he trailed off and ran his fingers through it again. 

“Yeah,” she laughed. “It always is.” She bit her lip, holding back a laugh. “Did you want something to smooth the curls?”

Harry shrugged like it was of no consequence, even though he wanted to look his best. Just in case. In case of what, he wasn’t entirely sure. But damn, Draco made him so fucking _aware_ of his own body in the strangest way and he wanted to put his best foot forward. Even though he shouldn’t be finding Draco attractive at all; Harry had a _girlfriend_ for fuck’s sake. 

But Maggie didn’t really do much for him. She pulled a small bottle of hair gel, _Sleakeasy_ the label said, from her bag and helped him fix his hair. She ran her fingers through it with a smile, but it did nothing to entice Harry. No rush of longing, or warm fuzzies. Certainly nothing like what he’d experienced when Draco came to check on him.

The door opened again, and Harry eagerly anticipated Draco walking through it. But it was a small boy with black hair and bright green eyes, and an older woman with long dark hair streaked with grey in a wavy curtain around her face. This must be Teddy and Andromeda.

“Uncle Harry!” the little boy whooped before leaping at Harry.

Harry grunted as he automatically caught the boy. “You weigh a tonne!”

“That’s what you always say! I drew you a picture!” He squirmed to get down and pulled a folded paper from the pocket of his robe. “It’s you getting hit with a ‘bliviate.”

He handed Harry a fairly detailed drawing of a man getting zapped with brightly colored streaks of light while villainous onlookers sneered. “Thanks. I like the shock on my face. Nice touch.”

Andromeda hugged Harry and kissed him on the cheek. “Are you feeling better today? We’ve been so worried.” She helped Teddy onto the foot of the bed next to Harry, then conjured a chair to sit next to them.

Maggie sat in the other chair with a sigh, “Same as yesterday, it seems. Which is a shame given how much the Obliviators interfered.”

“They know how to make you forget, but they’ve never been much good at helping you remember,” Andromeda said. “What did Draco have to say about it?”

At the mention of Draco, Teddy’s hair melted into a white-blond and his eyes faded to a more muted green. “Is Uncle Draco coming by?”

Harry scrambled back on the bed in surprise. “What the -”

“Harry!” Maggie said loudly to interrupt him. “Harry, it’s all right. Teddy -” she laughed lightly, “Teddy can change his appearance. A metamorphmagus. With magic.”

“Did you forget that too?” Teddy asked. “I can do my hair…” He closed his eyes to focus and his hair switched from blond to black, then to hot pink. “Gran says my mum liked pink hair a lot.” His hair changed again to a sandy brown. “This is my regular color. Like my dad’s. I can do my eyes, too, but that’s harder.” He widened his eyes so Harry could watch as the dull green became a dark brown, and then a soft blue. “I can’t get them grey enough like Uncle Draco’s but Gran says I just need to practice more. She says my mum could do her whole face in seconds!”

“That’s - some very cool magic, Teddy,” Harry said, trying to take in the new information. How did one keep up with a child that looked different all the time?

“So is Uncle Draco coming?”

“Draco’s your uncle?” Harry asked, looking at Andromeda and Maggie for answers. Was he Teddy’s godfather because they were related? And did that mean he was related to Draco too? 

“It’s a bit complicated, but Draco’s mother is my sister,” Andromeda said. “Teddy’s mother was his cousin. She died in the war, along with Teddy’s father.”

“So… I’m not related to - to you?” Harry cleared his throat and tried to sound natural when he asked, “Or Draco?”

He couldn’t interpret her look, but Maggie bit back a smile and said, “No, you’re not related to Draco or Teddy by blood. Not closely anyway.”

“You were friends with my daughter’s husband, Remus. He taught at your school and was a close friend of your father’s.”

“Oh, okay.” Harry nodded, lost in thought trying to place everyone. He shrugged it off, knowing his memory would return and it would all sort itself out eventually.

The door opened again, and this time Draco came through it. Immediately, Harry’s heartbeat sped up and he couldn’t hold back a wide grin. He absently ran his fingers through his hair, hoping it looked nice with the hair product Maggie added to it.

“Uncle Draco!” Teddy yelled.

“Teddy Bear! I didn’t know you were coming by!” Draco ruffled the boy’s hair, which had turned blond once again, then kissed the top of his head. “Aunt Dromeda. Always good to see you.” He gave her a hug and turned to Harry. “How are you doing this morning, Harry?”

“Fine,” Harry cleared his suddenly dry throat. “I’m well enough. Or the same, I guess.” 

Draco nodded and pulled out his wand to run his usual spells. “The Obliviators say it’ll be another day or two.” He frowned at Harry. “Your heartbeat is a little high. Are you feeling any pain?”

“Oh, I’m…” Harry’s eyes widened in nervousness, because he couldn’t control the way his body responded to Draco’s proximity. And how he wanted to lean into Draco, run a hand down his chest, around his hip, and draw him in close enough to kiss.

Maggie covered her mouth to bury a snort. “No, he’s just had a bit of a shock. Forgot Teddy can change his hair.” She winked at Harry.

“Right,” Draco laughed, “well that explains that.” He tucked his wand away and made a few notes on Harry’s chart. “Anything else?”

“Erm… my head is still - I’ve got a pretty bad headache.”

“Hmm,” Draco said as he set the chart aside. His fingers massaged Harry’s scalp. “Any pain here?”

His fingers pressed lightly down towards Harry’s neck. There was some light bruising there, making Harry frown, but overall... Harry wished he didn’t have onlookers that included a girlfriend. He bit back a whimper and shook his head. 

“That’s good. Let me check…” he flashed his lit wand across Harry’s eyes. “Your pupils are dilating normally. We’ll have to wait too see what the Obliviators say. Likely it’s just residual from yesterday’s treatments.” He smiled and patted Harry’s arm.

“Yeah, okay, thanks,” Harry said, feeling stupidly tongue-tied. A _girlfriend_. Ugh, what was he doing with his life?

Draco smiled, “All right, well I’ll be back to check on you as soon as the Obliviator gets here.” He ruffled Teddy’s hair again. “Have fun everyone, but don’t wear Harry out.”

Andromeda stood and vanished her chair. “We should be going anyway, Teddy has to get to school.”

“But we’ll come back this afternoon, won’t we Gran?”

“If Harry’s feeling up to it.” Andromeda squeezed Harry’s hand. “Rest up today, young man! Let’s go Teddy.”

“Bye Uncle Harry!” 

Andromeda and a blue-haired Teddy followed Draco out. 

Maggie’s smothered laugh became loud giggles. “Oh my word, Harry! Of all the things you’ve forgotten…” She laughed so hard, no sound came out. “You - you need to get better at hiding your big gay crush on Draco or he’s going to figure it out.”

Harry’s stomach dropped. “What.”

Her face reddened from all the laughter, “I guess you’re out of practice with your memory gone.”

Harry spluttered, “I’m not - what are you - this is -” This couldn’t be good - his girlfriend laughing at his completely innocent crush on his healer. “I don’t have a crush on a _man_! I have a girlfriend!”

Her face screwed up in confusion. “No you don’t, liar.”

“Yes… I do?” 

Maggie laughed again. “Harry, you can’t remember shit, but you think you have a girlfriend? Even with your big gay crush on Draco Malfoy?”

“Stop calling it that! It’s not a big gay crush!” Even though it totally was. All Harry could think about was that dream he had and Draco half naked in his bed. 

“Who told you you have a girlfriend?”

“Draco.” Harry tried to think back. “When I first woke up here. I remembered your name and he said you were my girlfriend.”

“Oh Harry…” She smiled and took his hand. “We dated a few times, months ago. But then you kissed me. In my flat, remember? With the windows?” He nodded slowly. “It was just horrible. Like you were mentally preparing a grocery list.” She giggled at his look of surprise. “You launched yourself away from me, knocked into one of the big windows. And you just blurted out, ‘I think I’m gay.’”

“No… no I didn’t.” But he did, he remembered it now. That jittery certainty he didn’t want to be kissing a woman.

“Oh you absolutely did! It was horrifying and hilarious at the same time.” 

“And then you said - that you didn’t care?” Harry fiddled with the hem of his sleeve. He was gay. And he hadn’t wanted anyone to know. “That if I needed cover, you’d help me out.”

She gave a sharp nod. “Right. We became good friends and moved in together… No one really questions the status of our relationship so we just let them think what they want. It works out rather nicely.”

“But don’t you miss having someone?” Because even without his memories, Harry knew he wanted someone to hold and kiss and share his life with. Could he get by with this pseudo-relationship with Maggie? 

“I have what I want,” she said with a shrug. “You’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had. No pressure, no expectations. Sometimes we share a bed, just for sleeping, and I like that.”

Harry’s brows drew down. “Don’t you miss sex?”

Maggie shrugged. “I guess I can take it or leave it.”

“What if… what if I don’t want to pretend anymore?” Harry’s heart sped up, thinking of Draco and the soft grey of his eyes.

She crossed her arms and considered Harry. “Ready to admit you want to shag Draco?”

“What? No I don’t!”

“Admit it. Say it out loud.” 

He wanted to be annoyed, but he could see the smile she was suppressing. “No! He’s probably not even interested in me anyway.”

Maggie laughed so hard she snorted. “You are such a crabby pants!” She elbowed Harry and broke into more giggles. “Say it, or I’m not helping you!”

“Fine!” Harry grumbled. “I want to shag Draco Malfoy.”

“Well then…” she said with a twinkle in her eye, “let’s get your boy.”

\--------

The first few steps, in no particular order, were to let Draco know Harry was gay, not dating Maggie, and to find out if Draco dated men. Neither of them knew exactly how to do that, but inventing a fake boyfriend for Maggie seemed easiest on the dating issue. But how did one subtly ask about sexual preferences?

Draco came in shortly after with another witch, an Obliviator, carrying a disgusting, gloppy potion that made Harry want to vomit just from the smell. 

“I know it’s horrible,” the witch said. “But it’s effective. Some of the ingredients are delicate so we can’t do much about the taste. If I may?” She waggled her wand at him and Harry nodded. Seconds later a spell blocked his nose. “It’ll dull the taste somewhat.”

“Here goes nothing…” Harry gulped it down, relieved the smell had lessened. Still, it left a thick residue on his tongue and down his throat. He grimaced and asked, “Can I have water?”

“Give it about ten minutes,” the witch said. She flicked her wand at the wall by Harry’s bed and a timer appeared, ticking down from ten minutes. “Things will pick up after lunch, and it’s going to be an unpleasant afternoon, but hopefully your memory will be intact by bedtime.” She nodded to Draco and Maggie, then left the room.

“I’m so sorry, Harry,” Draco said, giving him a comforting pat on the arm. “I can give you another pain potion at bedtime.” He nodded to Maggie. “For now, let’s dim the lights a little. Keep the noise down, too.” He moved towards the door. “I’ll be back to check on you soon.”

“Actually, I’m going too,” Maggie said. “I want to firecall my boyfriend and let him know I’ll probably be here all evening.” 

“You - have a boyfriend?” Draco asked slowly. He frowned at Harry and then Maggie. “I thought you were dating Harry?”

“Oh,” she laughed, “yeah we get that a lot. But no, we just live together. A few dates was enough to know we were better as friends. I’m not really his type, you know.” She gave her ample bosom a boost and winked at Draco, then laughed when his mouth dropped open to stare at Harry again.

“You - are you… gay?” Draco asked.

Harry nodded with a small smile. It hovered on the tip of his tongue to ask the same, but in the end, fear of scaring Draco off held him fast. He didn't quite know what to make of Draco's reaction. 

Draco straightened and snapped his mouth shut. A light blush made him look adorable to Harry, even with the throbbing beginning behind his eyes distracting him. “Right. Okay. The potion. You’ll probably want to nap if you can. I’ll - I’ll be back later.” With nervous, jerking movements, Draco darted out the door.

Maggie paused to wink and grin at Harry before following Draco out.

\--------

“I hate remembering this shit,” Harry groaned, curled up in bed. Maggie stood at his side, rubbing his head to ease the pain.

“Tell me things.”

“One time a little old witch thought I was trying to steal food from her shopping cart and hexed my fingers black. One time Teddy and I stayed up 'til midnight playing Exploding Snap and eating chocolate frogs and we got yelled at by Andromeda. One time a suspect trying to make a run for it hexed me backwards so hard I almost hit a car. One time I had a small kitchen fire and I considered letting the whole house burn down. One time Teddy cried so hard about Walburga that I took a turpentine wash to her portrait. One time I - oh…”

Harry sat up and took Maggie’s hand. “One time I was in a coffee shop. I took the wrong coffee by accident. For Larry, not Harry. And I ended up buying the other bloke a replacement. We - we talked for a while. About nothing, really. Just talking.”

“And?” Maggie said with a smile. 

“It wasn’t like a date. Not really. But it was…” Harry clutched his head as the memory became clearer. “It was really nice.” His smile fell. “I tried telling the Weasleys. They said I should get out more. Find a nice witch to date. They didn’t understand.” A small nudge of guilt made him say, “It was Hermione’s idea to ask you out.”

“Ah,” she said with a nod. “But you were already thinking that wasn’t a good idea. That wasn’t entirely their fault. Like, only five percent of the population is gay, so of course they’re going to assume you’re straight.”

"Only five percent?" That didn't seem like very good odds for catching Draco.

"Well, five percent of a big population is a lot. It's on par with allergies to bees."

"That's not very reassuring given how small the wizarding population is. How do you even know this?"

"I just made that up to torture you." She laughed at his frown. "Kidding! I looked it up when you said you were gay. Curious, you know?"

Harry rolled his eyes. “I told Ron and Hermione about the coffee shop and how nice it was to talk with someone like that. But they took it wrong? Or maybe didn’t want to see it. Hermione said I should date more, go out more, and then maybe I wouldn’t be so grumpy all the time.”

Maggie ran her fingers through his hair. “Oh Harry, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m the one that’s sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you out. Shouldn’t have led you on like that.”

She blew raspberries at him and laughed, “Eh, it worked out all right in the end.” 

“I tried to be more specific when I told Andromeda. She said she didn’t want to talk to Teddy about it. That he was too young. She just gave me a pinched kind of look and told me to ‘be discreet’ or whatever.”

“Yeah… she’s old and back in her day, that kind of thing just wasn’t talked about. And, you know, when adults think of relationships, they’re thinking of sex. What she meant was that she didn’t want him thinking about sex at his young age. But kids… they think marriage and relationships are an ongoing sleepover with your very best friend. So they don’t really care or understand those adult themes. Teddy will be all right. I bet he’ll think it’s brilliant, his two favorite uncles hanging out together all the time.”

“Do you really think I have a chance with Draco?” Harry didn’t remember _all_ the twisting trails of their relationship yet and how well they knew each other, and then wondered briefly if he was a terrible person for basing his desire for a relationship mostly on lust. But how else to describe love at first sight? “I don’t really know what I’m doing. I don’t think I’ve kissed a man before.”

Maggie shrugged. “Well you wouldn’t remember, now would you? I’ll throw out some names and you see if something comes up. Not Ron, right?”

Harry shook his head, grimacing at the idea.

“Who else was at school with you? Neville Longbottom? Dean Thomas. What’s the other one? Seamus! Seamus something-or-other.”

Harry scrunched his nose up in thought. “Finnigan.” Their names brought to mind revising and late nights in a dorm. “No, I didn’t kiss any of them.”

“Oh, well I don’t know any of your other age mates. Oh, Draco is friends with Blaise Zabini. Teddy talks loads about him. That name familiar?” Harry shook his head again. “Want me to just throw out boys’ names and see if something surfaces?”

“Thanks for the offer, but we’d be here all day for that. Plus, I think… it feels like the answer is no. I remember coffee-shop-Larry and thinking it was the most fun I’d had. So probably there wasn’t any kissing going on before that.”

“Oh,” Maggie said softly. She smiled kindly, “I guess that’s fine.” She elbowed him lightly. “I’m sure Draco can teach you a thing or two.”

Harry smiled at that, but then closed his eyes as another wave hit him. He clutched his head as it pounded, throwing horrible images of the war at him. “Oh fuck… Draco… I sliced him open.” He choked on a sob. “So much blood. A blast of green light when I died. And after… funerals and memorials. Fuck…” He relaxed into Maggie when her arms came around him, letting the tears flow as he mourned again.

“There were good things too… after all of that. Tell me those,” she said softly.

“Teddy… his - his first steps.” As he focused on the the little round face, other images came. “On a toddler broom. Chocolate icing all over his face. The playroom I decorated for him at home.” He huffed a sad, wet laugh, “My house is shit and needs a complete makeover.”

“We’ll work on that. Make it a lovely home.”

Several moments passed while Harry flitted through memories. He pressed his head harder into Maggie’s shoulder. “I don’t want to be different again. Why am I always on the outside?”

“Once people get used to the idea, you won’t be on the outside. And you won’t be there alone. You’ve got me. Ron and Hermione will support you, even if they need an adjustment period. And Draco. You’ll have Draco.”

Harry nodded and squeezed her tighter for a moment. He certainly hoped he had Draco after all this.

\--------

Harry felt groggy and sore from the pain of his memories returning. When it had passed, he took a long shower and thought about his life. He knew he couldn’t go on as he had, that pretending to be what everyone wanted wasn’t going to work anymore. Whether it gained him a relationship with Draco or not, he had to tell the people closest to him that he was gay, if only so they could adjust their expectations of him.

First was Andromeda and Teddy, when they came to visit after Teddy got out of school. He greeted them both with more enthusiasm this time, now that he remembered their time together. Teddy laughed at the stories Harry told about him as a baby, and overflowed with excitement that Harry wanted his help remodeling the house.

“Also…” Harry looked at Andromeda with a smile that begged her understanding. “There’s someone I remembered that I like. Someone I’m thinking of asking on a date.”

Andromeda tilted her head and gave him a stern look. “If this is what we talked about before…”

“Yeah… It’s just…” He smiled at Teddy. “There are all kinds of families...” he began, hesitating when Andromeda pressed her lips together tightly. Maybe he should talk to her in private first. But he had a large part in raising Teddy too, and this was important to him and he couldn’t bear for her to dismiss him again.

“Yeah, like me and Gran!” Teddy interrupted. “Mrs Wilson says the war made loads of new families so we made pictures to put on the big bulletin board and my friend Celeste is like me, living with her grandmum, except she has a granddad too. William also matches because he lives with his two uncles, and sometimes I live with you. Edward has a mum and dad, but Elizabeth only has a mum. But her sister is really big so she says it’s like having two mums sometimes.”

The three adults stared in mild shock at the little boy with hot pink hair. He blinked a few times. “What?”

Harry smiled fondly at him. “That’s... a lot of different kinds of families.” He looked at Andromeda, thankful her body had relaxed its tension. She nodded and gave him a small smile. “I have a friend that’s a boy that I hope will be my boyfriend.” Fucking hell, that sounded juvenile. But then, he _was_ talking to a juvenile. 

“Like William,” Teddy nodded sagely.

“William?” Maggie asked.

“My friend William lives with his two uncles, but his Uncle Alex is his Uncle Gregory’s ‘special friend’ that he _calls_ Uncle Alex and he just moved in over the summer. So if your boyfriend moves in with _you_, then _I’ll_ have two uncles to live with too! What’s his name?”

Harry blushed, “Erm… I’d rather not say… in case he says no.”

Andromeda gave him a typical Black family smirk. “I doubt that will be the case.” She kissed Harry’s temple. “We wish you the best of luck, don’t we Teddy?”

“Yup! I drew you another picture today at school.” He rustled around in his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “Gran says you have to rest so I might not be able to visit as often -”

“Of course you can visit,” Harry interrupted.

“- so I drew you taking a nap.” He flipped it over. “But then you were sad because you missed me so I drew you and me flying.”

Harry laughed as he took the paper and examined both drawings. “You’re a very talented artist.”

“Thank you. Gran says my granddad used to draw all the time and I’m just as good as him.”

Andromeda smiled at Teddy and reached for his hand. “You’ll be better than him before too long. All right,” she sighed, “say goodbye to Harry. We’re going to head home and get you a snack. Harry, we’re happy to see you’re doing better and that your memories are returning.” She paused a moment, as though choosing her words, “If your young man is who I think… I believe your sentiments are returned, but I ask that you please tread carefully there. He is… more fragile than he seems.”

Harry nodded, warmed by her approval. His voice cracked as he said, “I will. Be careful. I think a date has been a long time coming between us.”

“Indeed. Good luck.” Andromeda kissed his head and waved goodbye to Maggie before leading Teddy to the guest floos.

Maggie beamed at him, “See? Not so bad, right?”

Harry nodded but his insides twisted with worry. Andromeda had been given warning. This would be an unexpected plot twist for Ron and Hermione, and then Molly and Arthur when they returned from their holiday. Or maybe he was just overreacting. They’d weathered loads of storms together. This one would be fine too.

When the door opened on Draco, coming to check on Harry once again, Harry felt his spirits lift. They’d had so many ups and downs. But lately it had all been ups, and he hoped to keep it that way.

“Good to see you smiling, Harry!” Draco said with a return smile.

Harry shrugged, “I remember things. It’s not all great but… things are looking up.” He wanted to spill everything - how much he admired Draco for the changes to his life since the war, how much he appreciated their friendship, limited though it was. And how much he wanted to turn friendship into something more. But first, he needed to share his epiphany with Ron and Hermione. “I remember you healing me, right out of training. That black ooze trailing up my leg.”

“I remember. That was - nerve-wracking.” Draco pulled out his wand and cast the usual spells to check Harry’s vitals.

“Yeah, and after, I just kept asking for you until they -”

“They just started assigning me your cases.” Draco smiled. “It’s been a challenge keeping you alive. I’m glad to hear your memories are returning.” He frowned at the colored lights above Harry’s head. “Your heartbeat is still elevated. I’m a little concerned about that.” He flipped through Harry’s chart with a slow shake of his head. 

Maggie nudged Harry and snorted. “He’s fine. He just gets excited whenever there’s a visitor. It’s pretty boring here, just the two of us.”

“Hm. Well, I’d like to put a long-term monitoring spell on you, if that’s all right. Just to make sure your heartbeat is dropping into a normal range more often than not.” At Harry’s nod, Draco swirled his wand and the light above Harry’s head strengthened until the light looked almost solid and a soft _thump-thump-thump_ could be heard. “It’ll record your vitals so we can review it later.”

Draco set the chart down and reached for Harry, massaging his scalp again. “Still having pain? Headaches?” At the contact, Harry’s heart stuttered in a way everyone could see and hear, now that the spell amplified his heartbeat. Draco pulled his hands away and frowned at Harry in confusion. 

And that fucking spell just kept thumping loudly at them all. Harry took a deep breath, but the way Draco looked at him only made him more nervous.

“Are you all right?” Draco asked.

“Yeah… It’s - I’m - I’m fine. You know, it’s been a long day.” Harry shifted nervously in the bed and stared down at his feet. “I remember so much. But there aren’t… I wish I had more happy memories.”

Confusion and worry softened into something kind and caring on Draco’s face. “Aside from you coming to see me when you’re bloody and broken, it’s mostly good now. Teddy talks all the time about the fun you have together.”

“That’s… all that’s great. I just… ” Harry bit his lip. “I’ve been thinking… I don’t think my life was what I wanted it to be. Before.” He looked up at Draco, drinking in the concern pouring out of gorgeous grey eyes. “I don’t think I knew I was lonely. But now that I know it, I’m hoping to change that.”

Draco swallowed heavily. “That’s very good news.” He glanced at the monitoring spell, then down at his wand. “I should… I need to get back to my rounds. It’s good to see you back to yourself.”

“My new and improved self,” Harry corrected him, his heart beating quickly but steadily.

“New and improved,” Draco agreed with a smile. He gave Harry one last look before closing the door behind him.

“Harry! That was mad! And brilliant!” Maggie grinned widely and shook her head. “Gave him something to think on, yeah? How do you feel?”

“Nervous, excited. You don’t think that was too much?”

“No, that was lovely. Just beautiful. A very good start.”

Maggie’s encouragement had him smiling and happy for the rest of the evening. Thankfully his heartbeat slowed down, peaking briefly when Ron and Hermione came to visit after work. They brought dinner again and the four of them laughed over shared memories that Harry brought up at random as they came to him.

“Do you remember,” he said, looking to Maggie for encouragement. “Do you remember that time I swiped some other bloke’s coffee?”

“Just before you dated Maggie, yeah?” Ron asked. “Can you imagine that bloke telling that story for the rest of his life? How many people get their coffee stolen by a celebrity?” He shook his head with a laugh. “If only they knew you’re a tosser and hate sharing food.”

“Yeah well… it reminded me… I - there’s someone I’m interested in dating.”

“Oh?” Hermione said, looking between Maggie and him. She knew they weren’t dating, but her interest was clearly piqued. “You think she’ll be all right with you living with Maggie?”

“It’s a bloke.”

“Oh,” Hermione said with a frown. “You’re gay?”

“How hard did you hit your head, mate?” Ron asked, still laughing.

Harry set his nearly empty plate aside and sat cross-legged on the bed. “It’s not because of the accident. The accident just made me realise I couldn’t keep it a secret anymore.” He took in their concerned faces. “Look, I only wanted to tell you so you’ll stop telling me to find a nice witch to settle down with.” Everyone’s eyes darted to Maggie, who grinned around a mouthful of chips. “And maybe won’t be so shocked when I settle down with a nice wizard instead.”

“Right,” Hermione said, vanishing her plate. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Right then. Okay. A wizard. You have someone in mind?”

“Yeah… I haven’t asked him out yet. And honestly, I’m not a hundred percent sure he’s into the idea, but he didn’t run screaming when I hinted at it…”

“It’s Draco, isn’t it?” Ron asked with a glance at Hermione.

“How’d you guess?” Harry didn’t hold back a smile. He hadn’t realised they’d take the news so well. Or maybe the shock hadn’t hit them yet. He knew what those looks they gave each other meant.

“Because no one else has been by to visit.”

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s Draco.” Harry knew he sported a goofy grin, but he couldn’t help it. Actually, he didn’t even care. He deserved to have someone that made him so happy. “We’ve had a few outings with Teddy and had a fun time. So I’m hoping that means he’s interested in just the two of us sometime soon.”

“Harry’s been so funny,” Maggie said. “You should have seen him before his memory came back, completely unable to hide his big gay crush.”

“Please,” Harry blushed, “stop calling it that.”

Maggie punched his arm. “And what exactly should I call it then?” She winked at Hermione. “He even put a little product in his hair to fix it up.”

“No he didn’t!”

“Yeah… I did,” Harry said sheepishly. “Had a dream about him too.”

“Nope,” Ron interjected. “That’s enough of that!”

“You did?” Maggie asked at the same time. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Well, I thought you were my girlfriend at the time.”

Maggie tilted her head in confusion. “Before your memories came back? How is that possible?”

What really made Harry worry was the way Hermione frowned and tapped her chin. “Well really, who knows what his subconscious was doing before his memories came back?”

It gave Harry pause, and in that moment, Draco came in. For the thousandth time, Harry regretted allowing that fucking monitoring charm because everyone stared at it when the thumping increased.

“Hello, everyone! I didn’t expect so many of you.” Draco looked around, taking in the blushing stares from Ron and Hermione, and Maggie’s easy grin. “Harry, I wanted to check on you one more time before I went home. See how everything is going.”

“Yeah it’s good. I was just telling Ron and Hermione about some of the adventures I remembered.”

Ron and Maggie both smothered laughs at that, and Hermione smacked Ron on the arm. Draco looked mildly confused, and Harry didn’t want to explain. He cleared his throat and said, “So, a discharge tomorrow?”

“Possibly,” Draco said. He tapped the monitoring charm and dragged it into a small glass ball, which he pocketed. Immediately he cast a new charm. “I’ll look your chart over this evening, review the heartbeat monitor. But since nearly all of your memories are back, there’s probably no reason to keep you. Are you still having headaches?” He pointed at Harry’s head, but Harry didn’t really hear the question.

Because on Draco’s left hand was a wedding ring.

The thumping of his heartbeat echoed all over. Inside and out, the rushing sound swelled in Harry. A wedding ring. Just like his dream. This could only be horribly-fucking-terrible.

“You - you have a ring,” he said through the tight press of his throat.

“Oh, yes,” Draco laughed, looking at the ring then pulling it off. “It's fake, for handling hospital transfers. I find it helps.” 

“Helps with what?” Hermione asked. 

“Ironically, with trust. Something about marriage indicates stability, which is ridiculous. Muggles seem to think a married ‘doctor’ is less of a threat. Plus, it keeps them from flirting with me. Usually,” he added with a shrug.

As Draco spoke, the memories of Harry’s ‘dream’ became more and more clear. In a muggle hospital. Thinking they were married. The potion to knock him out. And as his heartbeat spiraled out of control, the words echoed in his head. _Usually… Stops them flirting… Usually_

“Holy-fucking-Merlin-in-knickers that was all real?!” Harry yelled, tugging at the blanket on the bed to hide himself. “Fucking _fuck_! Why didn’t you say something?”

“Oh shit,” Draco mumbled under his breath at the same time Maggie snapped her fingers at Ron and Hermione saying, “We should go.”

Harry moaned again and screamed into the blanket he’d bunched in front of his face.

“We’ll just… erm, send me a patronus Harry.” Maggie patted Draco on the arm as she pushed Ron and Hermione out.

“They’ve gone,” Draco said quietly.

“You fucking arse! Fuck, I vanished your shirt. I was _wanking_!”

“Harry, it’s fine. I know you thought it was a dream…”

“Why didn’t you say something? How could you let me go on like that?” Humiliation hit Harry hard, making him whine helplessly into the blanket.

“Because it’s easier with memory loss patients to go along with the delusion as -”

“Fuck off!”

“- long as possible. I just wanted to get you back here to somewhere safe. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were going to… react the way you did. Or remember it at all.”

“This is the worst day of my life and I’ve _died_ in recent memory!”

“Harry, please stop being so dramatic.” He tugged on the blanket but Harry wouldn’t let it go. “One day we’ll look back on this and laugh.”

“I can assure I fucking won’t, you insensitive prick!” Harry threw the blanket aside and fixed his crooked glasses. “I had plans for our first kiss and it didn’t involve fucking muggle drugs and a shitty hospital setting!”

Draco’s eyes widened. “What did you just say?”

Harry groaned again and covered his eyes. “Oh fuck! I didn’t mean to say that!”

“But you did. You said - you want to kiss me? For real?”

Harry pulled the blanket back up to cover his face and mumbled, “Can’t we forget all of this? Like the whole two days, and just start over? I was obliviated, you should be too!”

“Then we’d both be lost, confused idiots, now wouldn’t we?” He tugged harder on the blanket. “Would you stop being a big, fat baby and look at me? I didn’t understand, before. When you talked about change. I didn’t know you meant me.”  
Harry dropped the blanket and glared at Draco. “Of course I meant you. You are quite literally the man of my dreams!”

Draco’s laugh rushed through Harry, sparking a reluctant smile. And even more when Draco said, “You know, first kisses are overrated anyway.”

Harry huffed a sigh at the hot swoop of desire shooting through him. “They are?” 

“Yes,” Draco said, stepping closer to the bed. He took Harry’s hand and smiled. “It’s messy and uncoordinated.” His eyes met Harry’s. “Everyone knows the second one - no, the third one - is really the best one.” He leaned in close and Harry held his breath. “When we know enough about each other to make it really good.” He licked his lips and stared at Harry’s mouth. “That’s the one worth remembering.”

Their lips met, slowly and gently. Draco brushed his lips along Harry’s, then pressed firmly and coaxed them open with his tongue. In seconds, Harry opened eagerly, sliding his hands around Draco’s waist. Harry only had vague recall of the kiss in the muggle hospital, and felt like a fool about all of it. But those worries faded away as Draco laid claim to his mouth. Light and teasing gave way to hot and demanding, then eased into gentle little nips that made Harry shiver.

Harry pulled away with a soft sigh and pressed his forehead to Draco’s. “I’ve never kissed a man before. How’d I do?”

“A perfect second kiss.”

He sat back with his goofy grin trained on Draco. “Does this mean you’ll forgive me for wanking like a drunken fool and accosting you?”

“If you ask nicely, I’ll wank you myself next time.” His wink set Harry’s heart fluttering. Loudly. Fucking monitoring spell!

Harry grinned, despite the blushing. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that. I mean, I definitely want it at some point. Just… not quite yet.”

“We can take our time,” Draco said, eyes shining brightly. He kissed Harry again, driving the last of Harry’s worries away.

\--------

Harry woke with a grin already in place. He went to the room next door to shake Teddy awake. “Time for school, little man!”

Teddy moaned, “It’s too early!”

“It’s the same time as always! Up and at ‘em! You’ve got school and I’ve got an appointment to get to.”

Harry whistled as he passed Walburga’s empty frame and made his way down to the kitchen. Midway through cooking breakfast with Maggie, the contractor and his two employees came through the floo to continue renovations on the house. Plans were elaborate and complicated, but would leave Grimmauld Place as a pleasant house worth living in.

He dropped Teddy at his school, then Apparated near St Mungo’s for his post-obliviation check-up. The exam room, although small and cold, made him giddy because it meant he would see Draco.

As the door opened, Harry hopped off the exam table and reached for him, “Draco.”

“Harry,” Draco said. He gave Harry a light kiss on the lips and a quick hug. “No fooling around at work, naughty boy!” He patted the table. “Up you go.”

“Is this the part where I tell you where it hurts,” Harry laughed. 

“You wish… Sit still for me” His wand swirled over Harry, showering him in lights of all colors. “Looks good. No more memory lapses?”

“No, everything seems fine. But I told Robards these two weeks weren’t enough and I wanted a few more weeks off anyway. I’m not sure I want to go back to work. Not that kind of work.” He’d had to fill in some paperwork about the accident with Robards and just walking into the Ministry made his body tense and his mind slide to a darker place. Chasing criminals non-stop made him suspicious, depressed, and angry too often and he didn’t want to be that kind of person for Teddy. Or for Draco.

“Hmm. Well, I’d say take that under careful consideration. You don’t want to quit entirely and be bored out of your mind next month.”

“Yeah but I also don’t want some low-life criminal to get lucky with a severing charm and then I miss a dinner date with a sexy blond.”

Draco blushed, and Harry wanted so badly to run his lips along the soft flush. He’d have to break Draco of his ‘no playing at work’ rule. “We’re still meeting at seven?” Draco asked, tapping his fingers on the exam table, as though he’d rather be reaching for Harry.

“That’s perfect.” Harry hooked a leg around Draco’s waist to drag him closer. “Are you sure I can’t have one kiss before I go?”

“Maybe just the one,” Draco said with a smile.

Harry grinned as he leaned in, because one was never just one. 

And he had a sexy dream he wanted to reenact. With better success this time.

**Author's Note:**

> I got my stats on homosexuality here -  
https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/visualization/lgbt-stats/?topic=LGBT#density
> 
> In case you don’t want to check the link, it’s a map of the US from 2014 indicating state-by-state the number of adults identifying as LGBT, ranging from 1% - 9%, with a nation-wide average of 5%. That’s all the research I cared for, so I applied it to 2004 England because close enough is good enough.
> 
> Google told me 5-7% of the general population is allergic to bees.


End file.
